Special Effects Artists and Animators: salary, outlook & degrees
Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.
Middle half $75,490–$139,130. 19,970 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 4,200 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Washington | $133,480 |
| California | $130,540 |
| Nevada | $97,350 |
| New York | $96,770 |
| Colorado | $91,290 |
| Arizona | $89,650 |
| North Carolina | $88,350 |
| Utah | $88,210 |
| Michigan | $86,630 |
| Florida | $85,870 |
| Maryland | $85,830 |
| Tennessee | $83,080 |
| Virginia | $81,510 |
| Georgia | $81,390 |
| Illinois | $81,180 |
| Massachusetts | $80,640 |
| Rhode Island | $80,040 |
| Texas | $78,930 |
| Indiana | $75,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,760 |
| Ohio | $67,000 |
| Oklahoma | $66,980 |
| Missouri | $65,470 |
| Minnesota | $64,990 |
| Wisconsin | $64,890 |
| Kansas | $62,720 |
| West Virginia | $60,940 |
| New Mexico | $54,000 |
| Kentucky | $50,970 |
| Nebraska | $50,830 |
| Iowa | $47,530 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$124,590
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$96,760
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA$136,770
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA$134,120
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL$91,150
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$83,200
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA$156,950
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$76,110
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV$92,760
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV$87,300
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL$74,520
- Salt Lake City-Murray UT$101,730
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
Knowledge used
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Design
- Communications and Media
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles
- Innovation
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Achievement Orientation
- Adaptability
People in this job tend to have Artistic (creative), Realistic (hands-on) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Special Effects Artists and Animators: questions
How much do special Effects Artists and Animators make?
Special Effects Artists and Animators earn a U.S. median $102,030 a year; the middle half earn $75,490 to $139,130 (BLS, May 2025).
Is special Effects Artists and Animators a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a special Effects Artists and Animator?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 53% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do special Effects Artists and Animators make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $85,870 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $102,030 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 27-1014. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Special Effects Artists and Animators: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/special-effects-artists-and-animators.